hankyoreh

President Park Geun-hye is briefed on the Sewol ferry sinking at the National Disaster Headquarters at the Central Government Complex in Seoul at 5 pm on Apr. 16

After the Constitutional Court asked President Park Geun-hye to answer the allegations that have been raised about what she did during the seven hours after the Sewol ferry sank and until she appeared in public 5 pm, Park agreed to submit an explanatory statement and related documents to the court.

“As the Constitutional Court has requested, Park is planning to disclose where she was and what instructions she gave on the day of the Sewol sinking, Apr. 16, 2014. My understanding is that Park will be preparing the statement in consultation with her attorneys. She has nothing to hide,” an official at the Blue House told the Hankyoreh over the phone on Dec. 23.

“Park knows better than anyone else what she did on the day of the Sewol ferry accident. She will have to explain without any omissions her public and private activities for every hour,” the Constitutional Court said on Dec. 22. The allegations about Park’s behavior during those seven hours are one of the of the main grounds the National Assembly gave for impeaching Park (alleging that she violated her Constitutional duty to protect citizens’ lives).

Documents called “Correcting False Reports and Urban Legends: Here Are the Facts” that were posted on the Blue House website on two occasions (Nov. 19 and Dec. 9) explain that Park was receiving briefings over the phone and in writing and giving orders every 20 to 30 minutes on the day of the Sewol sinking. But these reconfirmed that Park did not hold a single meeting or receive a single briefing in person and remained in the presidential residence all day long, which only increased suspicions about her behavior. On top of this, reports showed that Park’s personal stylist was called to the Blue House that afternoon to do her hair.

Park will reportedly be submitting a statement based on the information that was posted on the Blue House website, with her actions and instructions on the day specified down to the minute. Park’s attorneys also said that the statement would include not only Park’s location during each hour but also every detail, including her meal times. Along with the statement, Park is also expected to submit the situation briefings from that day. She will reportedly be submitting the statement around the next preliminary hearing before the Constitutional Court on Dec. 27.

“The defendant [Park] was performing her normal duties at the Blue House at the time of the Sewol ferry sinking and instructed the coast guard, the national security office and other related organizations to do their best to rescue the passengers,” Park’s attorneys wrote in the response they submitted to the court on Dec. 16.

By Choi Hye-jung, staff reporter

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